Genesis, 9

1. God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'Breed, multiply and fill the earth.

1. And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

2. Be the terror and the dread of all the animals on land and all the birds of heaven, of everything that moves on land and all the fish of the sea; they are placed in your hands.

2. The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every bird of the air, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered.

3. Every living thing that moves will be yours to eat, no less than the foliage of the plants. I give you everything,

3. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; and as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.

4. with this exception: you must not eat flesh with life, that is to say blood, in it.

4. Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.

5. And I shall demand account of your life-blood, too. I shall demand it of every animal, and of man. Of man as regards his fellow-man, I shall demand account for human life.

5. For your lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; of every beast I will require it and of man; of every man's brother I will require the life of man.

6. He who sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God was man created.

6. Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for God made man in his own image.

7. Be fruitful then and multiply, teem over the earth and subdue it!'

7. And you, be fruitful and multiply, bring forth abundantly on the earth and multiply in it."

8. God spoke as follows to Noah and his sons,

8. Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him,

9. 'I am now establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants to come,

9. "Behold, I establish my covenant with you and your descendants after you,

10. and with every living creature that was with you: birds, cattle and every wild animal with you; everything that came out of the ark, every living thing on earth.

10. and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.

11. And I shall maintain my covenant with you: that never again shall all living things be destroyed by the waters of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to devastate the earth.'

11. I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."

12. 'And this', God said, 'is the sign of the covenant which I now make between myself and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come:

12. And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:

13. I now set my bow in the clouds and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

13. I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

14. When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds,

14. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds,

15. I shall recall the covenant between myself and you and every living creature, in a word all living things, and never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all living things.

15. I will remember my covenant which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16. When the bow is in the clouds I shall see it and call to mind the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth, that is, all living things.'

16. When the bow is in the clouds, I will look upon it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth."

17. 'That', God told Noah, 'is the sign of the covenant I have established between myself and all living things on earth.'

17. God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth."

18. The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth-Ham being the father of Canaan.

18. The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

19. These three were Noah's sons, and from these the whole earth was peopled.

19. These three were the sons of Noah; and from these the whole earth was peopled.

20. Noah, a tiller of the soil, was the first to plant the vine.

20. Noah was the first tiller of the soil. He planted a vineyard;

21. He drank some of the wine, and while he was drunk, he lay uncovered in his tent.

21. and he drank of the wine, and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent.

22. Ham, father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.

22. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside.

23. Shem and Japheth took a cloak and they both put it over their shoulders, and walking backwards, covered their father's nakedness; they kept their faces turned away, and they did not look at their father naked.

23. Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it upon both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father's nakedness.

24. When Noah awoke from his stupor he learned what his youngest son had done to him,

24. When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him,

25. and said: Accursed be Canaan, he shall be his brothers' meanest slave.

25. he said, "Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be to his brothers."

26. He added: Blessed be Yahweh, God of Shem, let Canaan be his slave!

26. He also said, "Blessed by the LORD my God be Shem; and let Canaan be his slave."

27. May God make space for Japheth, may he live in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his slave!

27. God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem; and let Canaan be his slave."

28. After the flood Noah lived three hundred and fifty years.

28. After the flood Noah lived three hundred and fifty years.

29. In all, Noah's life lasted nine hundred and fifty years; then he died.

29. All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years; and he died.